


i can stay if you want

by strawberryss



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/F, Injury Recovery, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28998468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryss/pseuds/strawberryss
Summary: prompt response! ava gets hurt and luna spends the night
Relationships: Female Detective/Ava du Mortain
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

Luna has been pacing the length of the hallway for what feels like hours but could just as easily be minutes now, waiting for the doctor’s okay to see Ava.

She’s been alternating between cleaning imaginary smudges from her glasses and braiding, then unbraiding, the same strand of hair, filled with so much nervous energy and guilt she feels like an unsupervised pot boiling over. 

Because for the second time in as many months, Ava is incapacitated because of her. The events of the night replay in graphic flashes in Luna’s mind; the Trappers, the Volts, the blood. And all of it is her fault; not that she has more than a few scrapes to show for it, thanks to… Ava. Ava who shouldn’t even have to be in Wayhaven, much less stuck keeping watch over Luna, who was only in the line of fire because of the extensive list of people after Luna’s blood, who told her she needed to learn how to fight but she had refused and therefore been completely useless and now Ava is hurt again and she is still useless, just standing in this hallway like a-

“Detective?” Dr. Tuft emerges from Ava’s room, interrupting Luna’s rapidly swirling thoughts. She nods her head at the door. “You can go in now.”

Luna’s heart skips a beat. “How is she?”

The doctor frowns. “Impossible.” She rakes her eyes over Luna, who must really be a sight because her silvery eyes soften and she adds, “But I’ve given her a sedative and she should be back on her feet by tomorrow. As long as she rests.” This last part is delivered with a stern look. 

“I’ll be quick,” Luna promises, and Dr. Tuft nods, heading down the hallway. Luna faces the door, her stomach twisting anxiously, and she only just remembers to untangle the piece of half-braided hair before she enters Ava’s room. 

It’s the second time she’s been in here, and it’s just as she remembers- void of color and decoration, everything purely functional. But Luna’s focus is instantly drawn to where Ava lies bandaged and pale, green eyes tracking her as she walks over to the side of the bed. 

Part of Luna wants to collapse right there, apologizing for everything she’s done and everything she hasn’t, for being the reason Ava’s hurt right now, but dimly she recognizes that it wouldn’t be fair of her to burden the agent with her guilt on top of everything else, so instead she tries for a winning smile. “So I guess it did hurt when you fell from heaven,” she jokes, then immediately grimaces because what the HELL was that you complete buffoon that doesn’t even make sense?! Ava scoffs out a short laugh regardless, and that is enough to encourage Luna to perch on the edge of the bed. 

The levity is short-lived as Luna takes in the full extent of Ava’s injuries and then, unable to bear it, drops her gaze to the grey bed sheets with a frown. 

“What is it?” Ava asks in a surprisingly gentle voice. And the fact that right now, of all times, Ava is concerned for her well-being, is so ridiculous that Luna almost laughs, but instead looks back up at her with a disbelieving stare.

“You’re hurt,” Luna says, and Ava sits up a little, a stubborn glint in her eyes.

“Hardly,” she scoffs. “If I were not confined to this bed, I would be fully recovered by now.” It would be more convincing if her face wasn’t tense with pain. 

Luna shakes her head in exasperation. “I think if you weren’t confined to this bed you’d be passed out in a hallway somewhere,” she counters, making Ava scowl and slump back against the pillows. “I’m sorry,” Luna adds in a rush, suddenly unable to help herself. 

“What for?” Ava peers at her.

“It was me they were after, I should have distracted them or done something to get them away-”

Ava interrupts suddenly, voice sharp. “Absolutely not. Your safety is of paramount importance and I…” She seems to waver, hands tightening into fists as if to stop herself from reaching out. “I could not risk harm befalling you.” 

There’s an implication there that Luna isn’t quite sure how to interpret, but it steals the words from her throat nonetheless, and a tense silence descends on the room as the two of them watch each other closely, waiting to see who will make the next move. 

Ava blinks drowsily, ending their impromptu staring match, and Luna remembers with horror that she promised to be quick so Ava could rest and heal. She stands quickly, gesturing at the door. “So I guess I should-”

“Would you-” Ava starts at the same time, before both of them stop, looking at the other expectantly. 

“Well, I can-”

“If you need-”

An entirely different kind of silence settles heavily over them as Ava smooths her hand over the sheets in an uncharacteristically awkward manner and Luna nervously adjusts her glasses. Several long seconds later, Ava looks up, gesturing for Luna to speak first.

“Just, um. I can stay. If you want.” What is she doing! Of course she doesn’t want that, Luna thinks furiously to herself, this is all my fault and she’s supposed to be resting and it’s not like we’re-

Ava cuts off the spiral early, as she so often does. “I would like that,” she murmurs, eyes starting to flutter shut. 

“Okay,” Luna says, feeling suddenly shy even though this was her idea in the first place. She sits down on the bed again, slouching into a half-sitting, half-reclining position with her back resting against the headboard. Ava watches her move with a surprising intensity. The bed is large enough for there to be plenty of room between them, but somehow by the time Luna gets comfortable Ava’s hand is close enough to graze her own. Hesitant, Luna moves to let her fingers cover Ava’s, and with a soft exhale the agent’s eyes fall closed as she drifts into sleep. 

Now that she’s in Ava’s presence and the fear from the night’s events is slowly abating, Luna realizes she’s completely exhausted, and the fact that she’s in a bed doesn’t help. She should probably go, but she really doesn’t want to leave, not when Ava is so close and looking more at peace than Luna’s ever seen before. She decides to close her heavy eyes for just a second…

Sunlight poking through the curtains rouses Luna from a heavy slumber, and she narrows her eyes to inspect a room that, although admittedly very blurry, she’s pretty sure is not her own. Blindly, she waves an arm at what looks like a bedside table, accidentally smacking the drawer open, until she locates her glasses and shoves them on. Confusion gives way to panic as Luna realizes she must have fallen asleep in Ava’s room, although she certainly doesn’t remember taking off her glasses or getting under the covers. 

Ava must have woken up a while ago and gone, hopefully with medical permission; the side of the bed she was sleeping on is cold and made with extreme precision. Luna considers the tangled sheets she’s laying in and quickly gets up, flapping ineffectually at them until they look… well. Sort of neat. 

Backing up to survey the bed, Luna rams into the drawer she’d accidentally opened, and with a pained curse turns to close it- and then freezes, her heart leaping into her throat. The drawer is empty except for a phone charger and a photograph, one she recognizes, one she’s in. The ground seems to shift beneath her as Luna stares in disbelief at the picture the two of them had taken at the carnival, and maybe that is why she doesn’t register the sound of Ava’s footsteps until they’re right behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come cry with me about hot vampires @strawberryrats on tumblr ;)


	2. addendum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ava's pov

Ava wakes early to the grey light of the morning seeping in from under the curtains, a lingering stiffness in her shoulders the only reminder of the injuries she’d sustained the previous evening.

How inconvenient, she thinks, to have been forced to waste such time ‘resting’ that she could have spent working, tracking down those Trappers who had dared try to hurt Luna.

The memory makes Ava’s chest tighten painfully, although the sensation is eased by the knowledge that the detective is alright and unharmed, here in the Warehouse where she will be safe. And she must be close by; Ava can hear the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, can almost feel the intoxicating warmth of her presence.

She makes to stand, pulling back the covers and glancing over the bed- and then stiffens abruptly to discover that Luna is indeed very close, curled up in what looks like an extremely uncomfortable position against the headboard, her long neck arched unnaturally and glasses digging red marks against the slope of her nose.

Vaguely, Ava remembers blurred pieces of the conversation from the previous night- the detective offering to stay, and Ava, already weakened from the sedative and her injuries, unable to resist the temptation to have Luna near.

It is unclear how long exactly she’s been there, asleep and no doubt wreaking havoc on her spine, but Ava is incredibly uncertain as to how to proceed from here. It is a feeling she is not familiar with, and she cannot decide if she cares for it or not.

If it were any other place, any other person, she would rouse Luna and send her on her way to her own room. But she knows the detective, has memorized every detail of her face and by extension the dark circles under her eyes, has far too often seen her wandering the Warehouse at night looking pale and worn. And- no. Ava looks away quickly, because she will not address the small part of her that… does not mind… seeing Luna here, expression peaceful as she sleeps.

This is terrain Ava has not walked before, and if the fortune teller was right, if she has been standing on a cliff’s edge, then the ground beneath her is beginning to give way. It is exhilarating and unwelcome all at once, and Ava is suddenly overcome with the need to escape this place, the crushing weight of this emotion she will not name.

She is almost at the door when something makes her turn back, drags her unwillingly back to the side of the bed where Luna is, once again considering how harsh the position she’s in must be on her back. And because it would be… troublesome, for Luna to be pained or in less than peak condition, what with the bounty, and for no other reason, Ava carefully moves the slumbering detective so she’s lying down, removes her glasses and places them on the table beside the bed.

It should suffice, but somehow does not, and Ava finds herself considering the temperature of the room and how cold it might feel, were she human. Biting back a groan at her sudden inability to continue her day without ensuring Luna’s comfort, Ava covers her with the sheets, allowing her hand to linger at the detective’s shoulder for only a second before snapping it back and storming away. In her frustrated confusion, she yanks the door open furiously and nearly slams it by instinct, but remembers herself at the last moment and instead shuts it as quietly as she can.

She can hear the muffled beating of Luna’s heart through the door, and its gentle rhythm follows her as she stalks down the hallway to locate the Agency doctors and be discharged from their care.


End file.
